Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, is presented as the end of the concept of aristocratic idealism. And, indeed, the Napoleon that he presents is quite idealized, lacking any but a rather tenuous connection to the historical truth. But that is appropriate, after all, because Nietzsche utilizes Napoleon as a metaphor. This is significant because the metaphor is the author’s primary literary tool for conveying his philosophy.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Reading the works of the philosopher Schopenhauer was a life-altering experience for Nietzsche. He openly credits the older philosopher as wielding tremendous influence over the evolution of his own career-defining theories about the tremendous significance of will upon human development. The specter of Schopenhauer is pervasive throughout the works of Nietzsche, but definitely attains lofty heights in this text. However, these lofty heights are primarily as the result of criticism, as Nietzsche had already broken free of the influence of Schopenhauer by publication of Beyond Good and Evil. Nevertheless, the consequences of the earlier influence remains quite strong.
Richard Wagner
Wagner holds the distinction of ranking among the most admired classic music composers in German history and Germany, remember, produced Beethoven, Bach and Brahms and that’s just for starters. The philosopher enjoyed a close personal friendship with the man most famous to Americans for scoring the helicopter assault in Apocalypse, Now! and he regarded himself as being in the company of true genius whenever they were together. The publication of The Case of Wagner in 1888, two years after Beyond Good and Evil, would change all that, however.
